Ferrari Challenge driver Manny Franco loses Sebring 12 Hours podium on last lap

The Sebring 12 Hours is a race every endurance driver wants to win. While Manny Franco and Conquest Racing never really looked like winning, they were in a podium position with one lap to go. However, Ferrari did have a winner at Sebring, with AF Corse USA taking the GTD top step in 2026, which was no surprise given their stacked driver lineup. Despite having a driver such as Antonio Fuoco in their team, they still had to overtake an Aston Martin on the very last lap in order to be crowned Sebring 12 Hours winners in 2026.

AF Corse USA wins GTD class

As I mentioned before the race, Ferrari had a very good chance of winning the Sebring 12 Hours in the GT classes. In GTD Pro, things didn’t go quite as well for Triarsi Competizione, with the James Calado, Miguel Molina, and Riccardo Agostini team finishing P7 in class. However, AF Corse USA won the GTD class, and Conquest Racing should’ve finished in third if it wasn’t for some last-lap drama. The AF Corse USA driver lineup was very strong, with Simon Mann, Antonio Fuoco, and Lilou Wadoux Ducellier behind the wheel. But it was Fuoco who snatched the win on the last lap, overtaking the Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin in the dying stages of the race.

Ferrari Challenge’s Manny Franco finishes P7

While AF Corse USA were celebrating their GTD class victory, Manny Franco and his Conquest Racing teammates were probably heartbroken about their result. With just one more lap to go, Albert Costa was sitting P3 in the GTD class, with just a handful of turns left before cashing in on a podium finish in one of North America’s toughest races. However, suddenly, the Conquest Racing Ferrari went from P3 to P7 in class and had no time to work their way back up the field. While the live cameras didn’t catch the dramatic twist at the end of the race, the Conquest Racing Ferrari lost their podium after being tangled up in a multi-car collision, showing the dangers of multiclass racing even in the last stages of an endurance race.

However, despite the unlucky finish on the last lap of the 2026 Sebring 12 Hours, the fact that Manny Franco’s team should’ve scored a podium in one of the toughest endurance races in the world just goes to show how talented some of these Ferrari Challenge drivers truly are, and why so many up-and-coming drivers compete in the series.

Looking for more Ferrari Challenge North America content? Check out the complete guide to Ferrari Challenge NA here.